Hyde Park Herald

Ald. Leslie Hairston is asking the people of the 5th Ward for a sixth term on City Council, articulating a platform stressing parity, developments realized and a sense that she is the candidate with the experience to see projects in development to fruition.

She brought up developments first when asked about her biggest accomplishments, citing the new Sophy Hotel, 1411 E. 53rd St., which she said was built by 75 full-time construction workers and with 60 percent women- and minority-owned enterprise participation, now staffed by 65 full-time workers and decorated with locally produced art.

When Treasure Island closed last summer, Hairston held a community meeting the next week, connecting the public to information about the closing and recruitment of a new supermarket tenant and laid-off workers to new employers through a quickly arranged, subsequent job fair.

Today, Hairston said she looks forward to announcing the new anchor tenant at the University of Chicago-owned Hyde Park Shopping Center — the U. of C. announced a new tenant would be named in the first quarter of this year.